Pure Pearls Glossary
Know exactly what you are buying
120 pearl and jewellery terms in plain English — and every one of them linked to the pieces we actually have.
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Freshwater, saltwater, South Sea, keshi, and how to tell a real pearl from a coated bead.
Round, baroque, drop, coin and the rest, and what each one is worth paying for.
What AAA actually means, plus lustre, nacre, orient and the claims to be sceptical of.
Millimetres, choker to rope, bangle sizing, and which length suits which neckline.
Jhumka, mangalsutra, kundan, polki, temple work and the rest of the Indian vocabulary.
925 silver, plating thickness, American diamond, coral, hallmarks and karat versus carat.
Clasps, knotting, drilling and settings — the parts that decide whether a piece survives.
Storing pearls, the tooth test, restringing, and the astrological terms buyers ask about.
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Every term
Showing 73 to 96 of 120
Natural Pearl
A pearl that formed with no human involvement at all. Vanishingly rare, and effectively absent from the retail market.
Off-Round
A catch-all for pearls that aim at round and miss. Covers semi-round through roundish.
Opera Length
About 28 to 36 inches, reaching the breastbone or below. Can be doubled into a two-strand choker.
26 in stock · from ₹11,200
Orient
The faint shifting rainbow that plays across the surface of a fine pearl, distinct from its lustre or its colour.
Oval
Symmetrically elongated, like an egg. Reads as elegant rather than compromised, and flatters a longer neckline.
127 in stock · from ₹1,800
Overtone
A translucent secondary colour lying over a pearl's main body colour — most often rose, silver or green.
Pachi
A kundan variant where stones are set into a lac-filled frame, giving a slightly raised, textured surface.
40 in stock · from ₹2,700
Peacock
A dark pearl showing green, blue and rose flashes over a near-black body. The most prized colour effect in dark pearls.
35 in stock · from ₹400
Pear
A drop with a more pronounced shoulder — wider at the base, distinctly narrow at the top.
3 in stock · from ₹23,920
Pearl Care
Pearls are soft and porous. They need to go on last, come off first, and be stored apart from everything else.
Pearl Grading
The A to AAA scale used to rate a pearl on lustre, surface, shape, colour matching and nacre. There is no global standards body enforcing it.
91 in stock · from ₹18,000
Pearl Restoration
Lightly polishing away a damaged outer nacre layer to reveal fresh nacre beneath. Only possible on thick-nacre pearls.
Pearl Size
The diameter of a pearl in millimetres, measured across its widest point. Price rises steeply, not evenly, with size.
73 in stock · from ₹3,300
Pearls for Men
Pearl jewellery cut for men: single-strand chains, bracelets, studs and rings, usually in larger pearls and darker tones.
14 in stock · from ₹2,100
Peeling
Nacre lifting or flaking away from a pearl, exposing the bead beneath. Terminal, and caused by thin nacre or chemical damage.
Pendant
A single ornament hung from a chain or strand, worn as the focal point of a necklace.
35 in stock · from ₹1,200
Polki
An uncut, unfaceted natural diamond, set face-up in kundan. Glows softly rather than sparkling.
18 in stock · from ₹3,750
Potato
Lumpy and roughly oval, with visible dimples. The most economical real freshwater pearl.
3 in stock · from ₹2,250
Princess Length
About 17 to 19 inches, resting just below the collarbone. The default necklace length, and the safest gift.
172 in stock · from ₹1,800
Rani Haar
A long, elaborate necklace worn below a choker, reaching the chest or stomach. The centrepiece of a bridal set.
52 in stock · from ₹2,800
Restringing
Replacing the thread a strand is built on. Routine maintenance, not repair, and overdue on most pearl necklaces.
Rhodium Plating
A thin layer of rhodium over silver or white gold, giving a bright white finish that resists tarnish.
Rice Pearl
A small elongated freshwater pearl shaped like a grain of rice, usually with visible surface rippling.
10 in stock · from ₹2,500
Rope Length
Anything beyond about 36 inches. Long enough to knot, layer or wear as several strands at once.
2 in stock · from ₹17,680
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